World Water Week: Barbara's Blog

Stockholm World Water Week gathers the world's leading experts to highlight and discuss water-related issues that matter for our common future. Find out more here.

Here you can read a special insight to the week's events from our very own Chief Executive, Barbara Frost, (pictured far left) who sent through daily updates of the event in her blog.

Final day (four): Thursday 16 August

Well, it's great to be able to end this blog on a really encouraging note. If anyone had any doubts about the ‘Year of Sanitation’, then they should be dispelled after yesterday’s UN Water seminar ‘Preparing a final action plan for the International Year of Sanitation 2008’. The Prince of Orange, HRH Willem Alexander, gave a key note presentation spelling out the importance of sanitation and the wider impacts on other areas of development. It’s great to see someone with such high profile helping the international effort to de-stigmatise sanitation and raise public awareness of this important issue.

WaterAid is a member of the End Water Poverty campaign which has been calling for one global action plan, fully funded national frameworks and a single global monitoring process. As a direct consequence of our campaigning and in response to the 2006 Human Development Report, which highlighted the global crisis in sanitation and water, the UN has started to take on this proposal.

It’s been really good to have WaterAid colleagues from Tanzania and Mali here in Stockholm, their experience and knowledge from working in developing countries has brought a lot to the conference. They have also been inspired by some of the events they have attended and will leave with a lot of learning and enthusiasm.

It really feels like water and sanitation are moving up the agenda, both politically and publicly. The challenge now will be to turn all this talk into action.

Day three: Wednesday 15 August

So far this week I've bumped into two of my predecessors - Jon Lane and Ravi Narayanan – and it seems WaterAid rather gets in your blood. Both Jon and Ravi are here with different organisations but are still big supporters of WaterAid and are still doing great things in the water and sanitation sector.

Jon organised a meeting with WaterAid and some of his colleagues from the Water Supply & Sanitation Collaborative Council to discuss how we can work together to make the most out of the UN’s International Year of Sanitation in 2008. It looks set to be a year of action.

Another highlight yesterday was hearing Jamie Bartram from the World Health Organisation speak at the 'International Targets and National Implementation' workshop. Jamie presented some new statistics which I think will be useful to us. The research highlights how water and sanitation are vital for good health and livelihoods.

It's a link that we see everyday in the countries where we work, but historically there has not been quantifiable data to back up our findings. When the WHO’s research is published it should help us make the case to world leaders and international donors for increased prioritisation of water and sanitation.

It was also great to hear internationally respected Professor Albert Wright echoing WaterAid’s thinking. At the 'Practical Approaches to Pro-poor Water and Sanitation Governance' seminar the Professor spoke about the need for spending on direct service provision, but said that for maximum impact we also need to recognise the importance of pro-poor governance. I wonder if they've been reading up on WaterAid’s Annual Report?

Today’s theme is climate change, the slogan I heard in the corridors is 'mitigation is air, adaptation is water'. Some in the water sector fear that climate change will dominate at the expense of action on the current water and sanitation crisis. It will be interesting to see how experts recommend the water agenda and the climate change agenda can work together.

Day two: Tuesday 14 August

Yesterday we were particularly chuffed when research from WaterAid's 'Global cause' and effect report was mentioned in the opening address by Anders Berntell. The Swedish Prime Minister went on to urge attendees to keep up the fight and continue raising awareness of water issues. It's an important message because even here, surrounded by all these inspirational people, the challenges can seem overwhelming.

Everyday we talk about 1.1 billion people without water and 2.6 billion people without sanitation, statistics flash up on the powerpoint presentations, maps of the world show coverage rates for water pumps and toilets. It can be depressing, so Prime Minister Reinfeldt struck a bit of a chord and I went off in search of some good news stories.

There are lots of young scientists competing for Stockholm’s International Junior Water prize. The winner will be announced later, but most importantly the competition is engaging the next generation, with contestants from 27 different countries all taking on the world's sanitation and water crisis.

The Local Government Finance event, with contributions from WaterAid Tanzania and Mali, was very well received by a packed room of delegates. The research, though still at an early stage, is compelling. Everyone agreed - it's not sufficient just to devolve nominal authority to local government; that authority needs to include the power to spend the money and spend it in a way that responds to the needs of impoverished communities.

Stephen Turner, our Director of Public Policy and Education, will continue the local theme today when he presents WaterAid's successful 'Localised Millennium Development Goal Initiative'.

It's difficult to choose which events to attend; from 'integrating slum upgrading' to 'do we need a Wikipedia of water?' - it seems like everyone's got something to offer.

Day one: Monday 13 August

Today marks the official opening of Stockholm World Water Week, with an address from the Swedish Prime Minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt. That said, there were various seminars and side events yesterday, and the networking is already well underway. WaterAid staff are working the rooms, the corridors and the coffee queues as well as attending the multitude of talks, seminars and plenary discussions.
 
This year we are really trying to get across the importance of local governments' role in delivering water and sanitation to the poor. WaterAid policy officers from Mali, Tanzania and the UK will be leading an event later today on ensuring local government finance for the poor. We'll give an update on how it goes later.
 
It's great to be at a forum like this, surrounded by participants from all over the world. Around 130 countries are represented in all, and everyone's passionate about finding solutions for the world's water and sanitation crisis. We may have different attitudes to the best way of achieving solutions (someone yesterday suggested flat-packed toilets - surely he was joking!), but at least we're all working towards a common goal. 
 
Sanitation is often overlooked in the sector, but everyone's gearing up for the UN's International Year of Sanitation, which starts in January 2008. A lot of organisations, including WaterAid, are looking to the Japanese government to see if they will put sanitation on the G8 agenda next year in Hokkaido. More on that later as well.

Right now we're off to go and talk toilets to more of the world's dignitaries...

Comment about WaterAid at World Water Week

Jon Mamousa:
This is great news for the International Year of Sanitation, it's about time the toilets issue got more attention. I wish WaterAid good luck for this exciting year of action, I hope world leaders will respond with urgency.

Franca Sciuto:
And what about the right to clean water for indigenous peoples?
Their water has been polluted by oil companies in Ecuador, Peru... by toxic wastes coming from extensive deforestation and replacement by soya fields...

Indigenous peoples need clean water, sanitation and so on as they are among the poorest.

Derek Wynston:
Good on the Prince of Orange for not being afraid to talk about toilets, I notice the Prince of Wales is WaterAid's president - but I've never heard him talk about water and sanitation, perhaps he could get together with the Prince of Orange to really highlight this issue. Prince Charles is normally very good about raising awareness for important issues – I shall look out for what he has to say during the UN sanitation year...